


keep the paper lantern lit

by faerialchemist



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Avatar State, F/M, Jealousy, M/M, Multi, OT3, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Secrets, Stars, Steam(y), Tea, Worship, Zutaraang, Zutaraang Week 2020, aang has two hands!, aang loves them with his heart and soul, beach, bonus day: aang organizes a midnight beach adventure (and some tears are shed), day five: "wait. does the FIRE lord need help getting STEAMY with his boyfriend?!" - toph, day four: iroh wants to know the tea about his nephew's love life, day one: zuko and katara talk shit about aang's overbearing fans, day seven: the stars never change (and neither does katara's love for aang), day six: zuko and aang have matching scars and that makes us all go feral, day three: waiting for aang to come home (when he comes home? if he comes home?) is the hardest part, day two: aang has a crisis about love (good thing katara's there), e.g. as the days progress, those are all the prompts, zuko and katara are head over heels for aang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-09-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:34:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 13,706
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26212756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faerialchemist/pseuds/faerialchemist
Summary: “But at least we have now,” Zuko murmured. “Let’s make it count.”Aang nodded, giving them both a radiant smile. “Always.”And as Katara pressed another kiss to Aang’s cheek while Zuko placed one on his forehead, she knew they’d make it work. As long as it made Aang happy… well, she and Zuko would do anything.(A collection of prompts written for Zutaraang Week 2020, put together by zutaraangtastic on Tumblr.)
Relationships: Aang/Katara (Avatar), Aang/Katara/Zuko (Avatar), Aang/Zuko (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Katara, but really Katara/Aang/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 67
Kudos: 110
Collections: Zutaraang Week





	1. jealousy

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to day one of zutaraang week 2020, put together by zutaraangtastic on tumblr! y'all don't know HOW excited i am for this. i've had everything written for like,, two-three weeks lol. all of the oneshots in this collection take place post-series; for most of them, aang is 20, katara is 21, and zuko is 23 (i'll mention in my a/n if something is different). aang is 20 not 19 mainly because i always imagined him as a year a half younger than katara, so 12 at the beginning of atla but 13 by the end of the show's run. my oneshots center around zutaraang with aang in the middle (e.g. kataang and zukaang; aang has two hands!) and platonic zutara, but you are of course free to interpret their dynamic however you'd like! i hope you enjoy :)
> 
> n.b. i do not know when they actually worked on cranefish town in canon. forgive me

~*~

jealousy: _talk shit (try not to get hit)_

“This is the first time he’s been back to the Fire Nation in months and what does he do? He lets himself get mobbed by fans,” Zuko grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest in a manner that Katara assumed would _probably_ be considered childish for someone of his royal status. “I feel so loved.”

She snickered at his pouting. “As if you didn’t expect this to happen. Aang doesn’t know how to turn them down without accidentally hurting their feelings, so he just deals with it.”

“Easy for you to say,” Zuko muttered, rolling his eyes. “At least _you’ve_ been travelling with him for the past few weeks. My only company for the last month and a half has been politicians.”

Katara grimaced. It was true that her position in the South Pole allowed considerably more flexibility within her schedule than Zuko could ever dream of having as Fire Lord. “Right. My bad.”

Zuko sighed, dropping his arms to his sides. “It’s fine. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. It’s not your fault that Aang is the Avatar and he’s always busy with a million different responsibilities to each nation. Or, worse, in the rare moments that he’s _not_ busy, there’s always a million fangirls draping themselves over him.”

Katara snorted. “Hey - don’t forget the fanboys.”

Zuko’s eye twitched. “Yes. Fangirls. Fanboys. Fan-people. _All_ of his fans. I don’t think Aang realizes how much they constantly work my nerves.”

There was something uniquely hilarious to Katara about seeing Zuko get jealous. Not that she was in any place to criticize, of course. One time a girl had flung herself at Aang and tried to rest her head on his shoulder while wrapping her arms around his waist, and Katara had gotten so pissed that she’d accidentally burst a pipe running through the wall behind her.

Oops.

But the look on the girl’s face had _so_ been worth the property damages she’d paid. Worth the lecture Aang tried - and failed - to give her afterwards, too.

Regardless, both she and Zuko knew their boyfriend didn’t care about the attention he received, and again, it wasn’t _his_ fault that he was the Avatar and everyone adored him more than they loved their parents. Even if that adoration was incredibly annoying.

“Look - who does that guy think he is?” Zuko complained, pointing across the room to where a man with brown hair had his arm around Aang’s shoulders and was laughing boisterously. “We should be the ones standing with him right now. Not some stranger.”

Katara normally would have snickered at Zuko’s whining, but she herself was _not_ liking the way a petite girl was caressing Aang’s arm while smiling coyly up at him. In fact, it kind of made her want to burst another pipe. Or two. And then use the water from those pipes to yank Aang towards her - _away_ from that bimbo - for that matter.

“Well, what’s stopping us from being over them with him?” she murmured, giving Zuko a sideways glance. “I, for one, think we’ve let the Avatar socialize long enough.”

Zuko looked like he was fighting back a smirk. “I knew they were starting to get on your nerves, too.”

Katara shrugged innocently. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” And even if she did, it wasn’t like Zuko was a stranger to her… mild possessiveness when it came to Aang. She knew this because _he_ was exactly the same with their boyfriend.

The Avatar had them both whipped. Which, to be fair, was a fact they would never complain about.

Zuko held himself straighter, cracking his neck. “Time to invoke my powers as Fire Lord.”

_That_ made Katara laugh. “What, invoke your official powers to order random citizens away from our boyfriend?”

Zuko sent her a disapproving look. “As if you weren’t thinking about knocking them away with a water whip. I saw your hand hovering over your flask the second that girl put her hand on Aang’s wrist.”

Ah. Well. Guilty as charged.

“Shut up and let’s go free the Avatar from his chains,” was her breezy response.

Aang’s eyes lit up when he saw them making their way towards him, and Katara couldn’t help but feel a hint of satisfaction as the gaggle of his fans seemed to recoil at their presence.

Okay, maybe a little more than a hint. A boatload, perhaps.

“Zuko! Katara!” Aang said enthusiastically, relief at their arrival causing his shoulders to visibly relax. “Er, can I introduce the both of you to -”

“Sorry to interrupt, sweetie,” she said before he could get any further, slipping one of her hands into his and pressing a kiss to his cheek, “but the Fire Lord tells me he has some very important news to discuss with you.” She sent Zuko a look that hopefully conveyed the message, _Play along, dimwit_. “Isn’t that right, Fire Lord?”

Zuko’s eyes widened before he hastily shifted to his more formal, regal persona, clasping his hands behind his back. “Right,” he said with a stiff nod. “Very important news. About… Cranefish Town.”

Not the _most_ unconvincing lie in the world, she supposed, even if his delivery was questionable. And rather flat. Regardless, it seemed to do the trick, as the crowd of fans released Aang and began to reluctantly disperse.

Aang appeared even more relieved once all of his groupies were gone, much to Katara’s amusement. “Sorry about that. Sometimes they just get a little too excited to see the Avatar in pers-”

He was cut off when Zuko grabbed his free arm and began dragging him out of the room into a connecting hallway. Katara, still holding onto Aang’s other hand, found herself being pulled along with him, stumbling over her own feet at first before regaining her balance.

Zuko led them to a small room off to the side of the same hallway, closing the door and locking it behind them. He then sighed and released Aang’s arm, pushing a strand of hair that had fallen from his bun out of his face.

Aang’s brow furrowed in concern, a small frown flitting onto his lips. “Is something wrong?”

Zuko said nothing, simply stepping forward and dropping his head onto Aang’s shoulder. Katara couldn’t help but marvel over how much taller their boyfriend had gotten - yes, he’d stood inches above her for a while now, but she hadn’t realized how close he was getting to Zuko’s height, too.

Finally, Zuko exhaled a long, quiet sigh. “I’ve missed you.”

Aang’s expression softened, and when Zuko lifted his head, he reached up with his hand that wasn’t holding Katara’s to cup Zuko’s face, gently thumbing over his boyfriend’s scar. “I’ve missed you, too,” he murmured before leaning in to capture Zuko’s lips in a deep, tender kiss.

As Aang’s grip on her hand tightened, Katara couldn’t stop the elation that flooded through her chest. She knew he was happiest when he had both of them around, and that meant _she_ was happiest in those moments, too. Plus, when Katara saw the giddy smile on their boyfriend’s face as he pulled out of his kiss with Zuko, the joy radiating from his expression only made her heart melt further.

Zuko chuckled. “I think I missed that most of all.”

His comment earned full-on laughter from Aang, who proceeded to pull them both into a tight embrace. “Spirits, I wish we could be together like this all the time.”

Katara wrapped her arms around him in response, and she could feel Zuko doing the same. “So do I.” Moments like these were rare - too often she was in the South Pole while Aang was travelling the globe, and of course Zuko was largely bound by his throne to remain in the Fire Nation for a majority of the year.

“But at least we have now,” Zuko murmured. “Let’s make it count.”

Aang nodded, giving them both a radiant smile. “Always.”

And as Katara pressed another kiss to Aang’s cheek while Zuko placed one on his forehead, she knew they’d make it work. As long as it made Aang happy… well, she and Zuko would do anything.

(Including scaring off a few too-clingy fans.)

~*~


	2. secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day two of zutaraang week 2020! this oneshot takes place when aang is 18, katara is 19, and zuko is 21 (aka this is one of the earlier storylines i wrote). i hope you enjoy! :)

~*~

secrets: _too much love will kill you if you can’t make up your mind - torn between the lover and the love you leave behind… but why should you have to choose?_

Aang couldn’t keep secrets from Katara. He’d never been able to, and he really didn’t think he ever _would_ be, either. But surely he’d never _have_ to be good at keeping secrets from her. He could trust Katara with anything! She was his forever girl!

Which was why it was _killing_ him to not tell her about his… feelings. He felt like he was going to explode, and he knew he had to tell her today. If he waited any longer, he was worried he might combust at random. And that would be… well, less than ideal. For the both of them. But mostly for him.

Fortunately, neither he nor Katara had any official business to attend to that afternoon, so they were able to quietly slip off into the Earth King’s garden together without anyone catching sight of or following them.

“Alright. What’s so important that you had to bring me someplace so private?” Katara asked teasingly, with the playful lilt to her voice that Aang adored.

He nervously swallowed the lump in his throat. Spirits, he was sweating buckets, his fingers tapping his thighs antsily - surely she was picking up on how terrified he was. How he was radiating sheer anxiety. She was too smart to _not_ notice.

Deep down, he knew everything would more than likely be fine. Katara was the kindest and most understanding person he knew, and the fact that she loved him as much as he loved her - and he adored her more than just about anyone, with a single notable exception - made him feel like the luckiest guy in the world. He’d tell her, and then she would probably hug him and reassure him that it was no big deal, promising that she still loved him just as much as before.

Or so he desperately hoped.

“There’s something I need to tell you,” Aang finally said, his hands gripping the orange fabric by his sides so tightly he was half-worried he’d end up tearing a hole through it.

Katara’s expression softened as she seemed to fully realize how anxious her boyfriend was, and she took his hands in hers before leading him beneath a tree with orchids blooming along the bark, gently lowering them both to sit on the ground. “Whenever you’re ready to talk, I’m here to listen,” she promised.

Aang gulped, but nodded, pulling his hands out of hers to rest them on his lap. “You… You know how I told you that the Air Nomads don’t” - he winced - “didn’t believe love was bound by physical form? And - And that you could love regardless of gender or nation, and that sometimes… sometimes you might even fall in love with multiple people?”

Katara nodded, and he wondered if she knew where he was going with this. “Mhm. I remember.”

Aang took a deep breath. It was now or never. If he couldn’t tell Katara, then there was no way he’d be able to tell anyone else, much less… “I love Zuko!” he blurted out, anxiety causing his hands to clench into fists. “But - I love you, too!” Even _knowing_ that there was nothing wrong with him, knowing that there was no shame in him loving more than one person, he still couldn’t help but feel terrified of what his girlfriend’s reaction would be. Uncertain? Disgusted? Confused? “It’s - It’s hard for me to explain. I love _both_ of you, so much, and - uh, it’s different, I guess? What I feel for you is different than what I feel for Zuko, but it’s also… the same.”

Aang then realized that at some point he’d stopped making eye contact with Katara, and though he was terrified of what emotions he might see on his girlfriend’s face, he lifted his gaze from the ground to look directly at her.

Katara’s expression was gentle, reassuring, and overflowing with love - Aang couldn’t help but feel relief seep into his bones even before she started speaking. “I can tell it was difficult for you to tell me that,” she whispered. “So thank you.”

Aang found himself wincing. “You’re not… mad?”

Katara’s eyes widened, then she frowned. “Of course not! Why would I be mad?”

Aang bit his bottom lip. He supposed there wasn’t _really_ a reason for her to be mad - just his own insecurities lingering in the back of his mind. “I mean, I know the Water Tribes can be a little more… traditional,” he finally said. “I guess I was just afraid that - that you might think I loved you less -”

Before he knew it, Katara had leaned forward and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. “Sweetie, I would _never_ think that,” she said firmly. “I know love doesn’t work that way. You said it yourself - your love for Zuko and I may be different, but it isn’t unequal, and I _know_ neither of them is less important to you.”

Aang nodded into her shoulder as he returned her embrace, not daring to speak for fear of bursting into tears.

“Besides,” Katara added with a teasing smile as she pulled out of the hug, though she left her arms looped around his neck, “since when have _I_ ever been traditional?”

That comment earned a laugh from Aang, and it was like the weight had finally been lifted from his shoulders. She was right, of course - he fondly remembered his girlfriend beating the sexism out of Master Pakku. Literally. “Okay. Good point.”

Katara proceeded to tenderly cup his face with her right hand, and Aang couldn’t stop himself from closing his eyes and leaning into her touch. “I am so _proud_ of you, too,” she whispered. “For telling me, and for admitting it to yourself. Aang, you are the bravest, most amazing person I know.”

Aang turned his head to kiss the center of her palm. “I think I’m supposed to be the one saying that about you.”

She laughed before leaning in to capture his lips in a brief, intense kiss.

After she pulled away, he found himself asking, “Does this mean… you’d be okay with me being in a relationship with both of you?”

Katara shrugged. “Why not? If you’re happy, I’m happy.” She kissed his cheek. “Oh, and as long as _I’m_ not expected to kiss Zuko. That’d be a dealbreaker.”

Aang snickered. “Don’t worry. I can handle kissing Zuko.”

“Mm, I’m sure you can.”

Katara then moved to sit next to him beneath the tree, and he draped his arm around her shoulders as she nestled into his side. “So when do you plan to tell Zuko?” she asked after a brief pause. “Assuming you told me first, that is.”

Aang winced. He’d been thinking about that potential conversation lately, too, and if he was honest, he wasn’t sure when or even _if_ he could muster up the courage to tell Zuko. Not to mention just finding time to do so. As the Avatar, being in one relationship was difficult enough, especially considering that he was almost always either travelling or working to restore the Air Temples with the Acolytes. Then Zuko was Fire Lord, a position that kept him largely tied down within the Fire Nation, which didn’t make meeting up with him any easier. Not to mention…

“I don’t even know if Zuko reciprocates my feelings,” he admitted. He loved Zuko - he loved him _so much_ \- but he was also okay with maintaining a strictly platonic relationship with him, too, if that was what his friend preferred.

Katara laughed. “Trust me, he does. You don’t need to worry about rejection.”

Aang stared at his girlfriend, keenly aware that complete and utter shock had to be written all over his face. “What? How do you know?” What had Katara seen that he hadn’t? Had Zuko told her something?!

She shrugged. “Call it instinct.” Then she winked at him. “And trust me, _my_ instinct is much more reliable than Sokka’s. It actually knows what it’s talking about.”

Aang burst out laughing at the memory of ‘Sokka’s instinct’ making them walk through the forest rather than flying on Appa not long after they’d first met. “Alright. If you say so.” Though doubt still lingered in the back of his mind, he couldn’t stop an inkling of hope from blossoming in his chest. “Maybe I’ll tell him after the big council meeting next week.” There wouldn’t _technically_ be any free time after the meeting, but he was the Avatar - surely he could make some. Aang then smoothed his robes with his free hand. “I hope he’s as… er, understanding, I guess, as you are.” Like the Water Tribes, the Fire Nation had traditional, rigid formalities regarding social status and relationships that it still clung to, especially among royalty.

Katara waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about that. I promise you - he will be.”

Aang couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the certainty of her comment, amused. “How do you know that, exactly?” He tapped her nose. “And no ‘instinct’ excuse this time.”

Katara sat up straight, shrugging his arm off her shoulders and turning to face him directly. “Because,” she said seriously. “If Zuko loves you as much as I do, which I know he does, then he will do _anything_ if it means you’ll be happy.”

Aang could feel himself turning bright red at her words, and he reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. “I can’t believe I’m the luckiest person in the entire world,” he murmured. To be so loved…

Katara shook her head, eyes twinkling. “Nope.” She leaned in, so close the tips of their noses brushed. “That’s my line.”

And when she captured his lips in a searing kiss, Aang had never been more grateful for his inability to keep a secret from her.

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading, and i hope to see you tomorrow for day three: avatar state!


	3. avatar state

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day three of zutaraang week 2020! for this prompt i tried my hand at some angst (aangst, if you will). i really enjoyed writing this one, so i hope you enjoy!

~*~

avatar state: _who dares to love forever (oh, when love must die?)_

Waiting was the hardest part.

“He was supposed to be back five days ago!” Katara snapped, shoving past the Fire Nation guards to enter Zuko’s personal study. “Five days! And we haven’t heard anything from him!”

Aang had been called to the Earth Kingdom last week to help put down an uprising of hot-blooded Ozai supporters in one of the former Fire Nation colonies - of _all_ places - and had been expected back before the weekend passed. It was a higher risk mission than usual, as some of the firebenders had supposedly convinced earthbenders to join their cause - as to how they’d done that, Katara didn’t have a damn clue - but Aang had promised he could handle it without her and Zuko’s help. Now it was five days beyond his promised return, and neither he nor anyone else had sent word about what had caused his delay. Lagging two or three days behind schedule wasn’t necessarily unusual for Aang, what with him being the Avatar, but not having _heard_ from him? And not having heard anything _about_ him? And then taking into consideration how dangerous the mission had been labelled to be? Katara felt her anxiety was completely justified. And therefore so were her lack of appetite and the sleepless nights she’d been having.

Zuko sighed, scrawling his signature at the bottom of one of the many papers on his desk before placing his pen down and looking up at her. “I know. I dispatched people to the Earth Kingdom two days after his intended return date, and I’m expecting them to send news by messenger hawk that will arrive either tonight or tomorrow morning.”

Katara had to resist the urge to tear her hair out, as that particular display of frustration would get her nowhere. Still, the pent-up stress and fear and _guilt_ for not accompanying Aang when she could have - it demanded release. She slammed her palms down on Zuko’s desk. “There _has_ to be more you can do. You’re the _Fire Lord_. Something! Anything more than just sitting here, for spirits’ sake!”

Zuko dismissed the aide who Katara assumed had been helping him sort through and review his paperwork, waiting for the door to shut behind them before he addressed her again. “I know it’s frustrating,” he began, his tone even, “but all we can do right now is wait for news to arrive.”

If Katara hadn’t been a waterbender, she would have described her blood as being on fire. She supposed ‘boiling’ would have to do. “‘Wait’?” she repeated, her voice far icier than the hot rage burning inside of her. “How can you possibly expect me to _wait_ any longer?!” She’d waited five days already, and she couldn’t stand the endless delays for even one more second. Her hand dropped to the flask ever-present on her hip. “No. You can’t make me stay here. I’m going after him.” Maybe it was futile, but she didn’t _care_ , at least looking for him was an _action_ , at least she’d be _doing_ something instead of sitting helpless -

“Katara, you are not leaving this palace,” Zuko ordered, staring her down.

She met his gaze with a cold, steely one of her own. “You have no power over me, Fire Lord Zuko,” she sneered, an ugly, irrational hatred curling through her veins. “In fact, as your esteemed guest, you should be _helping_ me in any way possible rather than refusing to provide me assistance.”

“And what, exactly, do you plan to _do_ to help him, Katara?” Zuko said, standing and crossing his arms over his chest. She could tell he was trying not to lose his temper - Aang had once pointed out to her how Zuko tended to clench his jaw when he was frustrated, and she’d noticed it ever since. “We don’t know where he _is_ inside the colony, or if he’s even in that area of the Earth Kingdom anymore!”

“And? I’ll figure it out,” she snapped, grip tightening on her flask of water. “You’re the Fire Lord, aren’t you? Use that power and status of yours to - to get me an ostrich horse or something! Anything that covers ground fast.”

“No. I won’t,” Zuko said, his shoulders stiffening. “We are not taking any action until the messenger hawk arrives. Only once we have a clear read on the situation will _anyone_ , us included, be allowed to -”

The anger simmering in the pit of Katara’s stomach finally boiled over. “Oh, shut _up_ about ‘we’! Just shut up!” she shouted, her hands clenching into fists at her sides before she relaxed one enough to point at him accusingly, her eyes narrowing in a deadly glare. “There is no ‘we’, Fire Lord Zuko, because apparently _I_ am the only one here who actually cares about Aang since all _you_ want to do is sit here and pretend everything is fine! There is no ‘we’, because you’re incapable of making a decisive choice to try and help him before it’s too late!” She blinked back tears, furiously wiping at her eyes before her fists clenched again. “Dammit, Zuko, Tui and La _know_ that there isn’t a ‘we’, because it’s clear from your - your _apathy_ that you don’t love Aang as much as I do!”

Katara regretted the harsh words as soon as they left her lips, inhaling sharply and biting her tongue less than a second later. But before her mind could piece together a coherent apology -

“How _dare_ you,” Zuko growled, tendrils of smoke and a flicker of fire escaping the corners of his mouth as sparks flew out of his fingertips. If looks could kill, Katara knew his venomous glare would have sent her six feet under. “How dare you suggest that I don’t care about Aang because I have the sense not to take hasty action like you so impatiently want to? How dare you suggest that I’m _content_ with sitting behind my desk and waiting for news to arrive? How dare you suggest that I don’t - that I don’t love him -”

His voice broke, and just as quickly as rage had poured out of him, it dissipated, the fire in his eyes vanishing as a look of deep, aching pain fell across his features.

“You have no idea how worried I am,” he whispered. “I have more power than anyone else in my country, and I’m _still_ helpless. Left behind. Stuck… waiting.”

It took every ounce of willpower in Katara’s body to keep herself from breaking into sobs. “You’re wrong,” she managed to say. “I know exactly how worried you are.” She could feel a tear sliding down her cheek, and she had to bite her tongue to keep the rest from pouring out for fear they would never stop. “I’m sorry.” She took a step away from his desk, holding her arms open.

And when Zuko walked around to accept her embrace, burying his face into her hair as she pressed her own into his shoulder, she couldn’t say when she began to cry, nor did she know which of them allowed their tears to fall first. Not that it mattered. When it came to Aang, it never did.

“I’m so afraid,” Katara said, her words coming out as fractured gasps between heaving sobs. “He’s never - _disappeared_ like this, without saying something or - or letting someone _know_! If something _happened_ to him, I don’t know what I’ll _do_ -”

It had been hard enough watching him die once. She wasn’t ready - no, she _couldn’t_ watch it happen again.

Zuko’s arms tightened around her. “I know,” he murmured. Katara didn’t miss the unsteadiness, the fear, the pain in his voice. “I can’t imagine life without him, either.”

His words only made her cry harder, and she probably would have cried all night had a messenger not barged into Zuko’s study, panting hard and face red as a tomato, presumably from sprinting all the way down the hall.

“Lord - Lord Zuko!” he gasped. “A - A message! From” - he heaved in a deep breath - “from the Earth Kingdom!”

To his credit, Zuko remained far more composed than she did. No doubt thanks to his royal upbringing. Katara barely managed to quiet her sobs to muffled, hiccuping sniffles as the firebender pulled away from her, though he did keep a hand on her shoulder, for which she was silently grateful.

“Read the message,” Zuko ordered, though without the usual intensity of his regal demeanor. “Please.”

Aang had to be the one driving those manners into him. Aang and Iroh.

The messenger nodded, taking in a few more deep breaths before coughing and then clearing his throat as he opened the parchment scroll. “In a battle against a group of former Fire Lord Ozai’s supporters,” he began, “Avatar Aang attempted to hold them all off on his own to allow civilians to escape the area, as the firebenders made extreme efforts to burn down the numerous houses and shops in the vicinity. However, when forced to enter the Avatar state or else be overwhelmed, he was injured by a rogue earthbender -”

The last thing Katara remembered were her knees buckling beneath her and Zuko crying out her name before everything went dark.

~*~

Katara woke up with a warm, damp cloth pressed to her forehead and a steaming cup of tea on the table next to her… bed?

This was not the guest room Zuko had given her.

“You’re in the palace’s infirmary. Of sorts,” a voice explained. “Right now it’s not much more than a big room of small beds and tables, but we’re expecting to stock it with medicine and bandages before the end of the week. It was still faster to carry you here than to your bedroom.”

Katara groaned, pulling the cloth off of her forehead. “What happened?”

“You fainted,” Zuko said flatly. He was sitting on a chair next to her ‘bed’. “Before you ask, you were only out for a few minutes.” He then sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. Or maybe it was exasperation. Possibly both. “Dammit, Katara! How can a waterbender get _dehydrated_? Aang is going to kill me when he finds out I let his girlfriend forget to take care of herself!”

Katara rolled her eyes as she pushed herself up into a sitting position and - 

Oh. The world was spinning. That was… concerning.

Okay, maybe she was a little lightheaded from not having eaten or slept for the past 72 hours. But she was _fine_. Or she would be in a minute or two.

“Don’t even try to argue,” Zuko grumbled. He proceeded to hand her the cup of tea that had been resting on the table next to her. “Here. Drink this. I tried to make it like Uncle does.”

The emphasis usually went on ‘tried’ in these scenarios, or so Aang had once warned her, but she didn’t want to seem ungrateful, so she didn’t protest. She was thankful for his help regardless.

A few minutes and a few sips of tea later, Katara felt considerably more alert, and not to mention the world was no longer spinning. She considered herself 100% less likely to faint. Probably. Hopefully.

“Okay,” she said, taking a final sip of tea before placing her cup back down on the small table beside her bed. “I’m good now. What did the rest of the message say? The one about Aang?”

Zuko appeared hesitant to answer. Not a great sign. “I don’t think it’s the best idea for me to -”

“Zuko.” Katara tried to find a middle ground between stern and pleading. “I have to know. You know I do.”

Zuko flinched beneath her steady gaze, then sighed. “It… didn’t really say much else,” he admitted. “Just that Aang was injured in the Avatar state, and when the dust cloud dissipated afterwards, he was nowhere to be seen. No one knows for certain what happened to him.”

Katara’s heart dropped into her stomach, and she suspected it was a good thing she wasn’t standing as she had to bite back bile rising in her throat. “No one?” she repeated after a pause, clutching at the blue fabric on her lap. “How can there be no word about him?! He might be an airbender, but he can’t just _disappear_ -”

“I’ve already got my people there digging for more information,” he promised her, though he didn’t sound confident. Which didn’t exactly reassure her, but it was… better than nothing. Barely. “It’s possibly that he’s already on his way back with Appa already, and that’s why no one has seen him.”

Katara couldn’t help but scoff at his suggestion, which at least distracted her from the nausea rolling in the pit of her stomach. “As if the spirits would ever let _us_ be so lucky -”

“KATARA!”

Her voice caught in her throat at the familiar, frantic tone. She didn’t dare to get her hopes up, and yet -

In a blur of orange, the person Katara had been weeping for less than ten minutes earlier was by her side, leaning over her bed and pushing her hair out of her face. She hadn’t realized it had fallen down.

“Katara, they told me you fainted!” Aang exclaimed worriedly, his eyebrows furrowed in concern as he touched her cheek. “Sweetie, what hap-”

Katara didn’t let him finish, cupping his face with both of her hands and leaning forward to capture his lips in a searing kiss. “I was so worried about you, Aang,” she breathed when she finally had to break away for air. “When I heard you were hurt in the Avatar state, I thought -”

“Shh,” Aang whispered, kissing away the tears that had started to trickle down her cheeks. “I’m fine. I’m okay. I’m here now. You don’t need to worry any more.”

Katara took a deep breath before she managed a small nod. “Okay.”

He looked her over one more time before pushing her hair out of her face again and then pulling away, standing upright to face Zuko, who Katara realized had jumped to his feet when Aang first came rushing in.

“Are you okay?” Aang asked him quietly.

Zuko didn’t respond at first, blinking furiously in an evident attempt to stop his own tears from falling. He let out a shuddering breath, the tension gradually disappearing from his shoulders. “Spirits, Aang, seeing you _alive_ …” He shook his head. “Not yet. But… I will be. Because you’re here now.”

Aang gave him a soft smile, and even though it hadn’t been directed at her, Katara couldn’t help but feel more at ease. “Can I hug you?”

Zuko nodded, wiping beneath his right eye with the base of his palm. “Yes. Thank you.”

No further words were spoken. But with Aang, there often didn’t need to be. And when Katara was pulled off her makeshift bed and into their hug a minute or so later, she couldn’t say she was surprised.

Waiting was the hardest part.

But as their boyfriend gently kissed the top of her head before pressing a soft kiss to Zuko’s cheek, Katara knew that Aang… He’d always be worth waiting for.

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i would never kill aang don't worry. thank you for reading!


	4. tea

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day four of zutaraang week 2020 - tea! i know im boring, but i saw this prompt and knew i had to write something with iroh :) he's the number one zutaraang supporter tbh. i hope you enjoy!

~*~

tea: _happiness is a cup of tea (and an impending visit from the avatar)_

“Welcome, Fire Lord Zuko,” Iroh said, bowing to his nephew. “I am honored you have chosen to drink at my humble café -”

“Uncle, I’m begging you. No formalities,” Zuko grumbled, dismissing the bodyguards that travelled with him to wait outside the storefront until it was time for him to leave. “I have heard enough of them from the Earth King all morning.”

Iroh chuckled. As tempted as he was to continue teasing his nephew, he supposed mercy was the kinder option. “Of course.” He noticed that some of the customers were staring at Zuko in a mixture of awe and confusion, so he gestured to the back of his shop. “Would you prefer greater privacy, perhaps?”

The relief that crossed Zuko’s face told Iroh all he needed to know, but he waited for a nod of confirmation before escorting his nephew into the private room adjacent to the main area of the shop. He already had a pot of tea brewed on the stove, and he poured himself and Zuko a cup before sitting down across from his nephew.

Zuko raised an eyebrow as he accepted the tea. “Did you know I was coming to visit today?”

Iroh chuckled. “Well, all of Ba Sing Se was gossiping about the news that the Fire Lord would be in town this weekend, so I certainly hoped you’d drop by.” Though he always kept a pot of tea warm in the back - he never knew when an exceptionally lost soul would wander in seeking comfort or guidance. He liked to be prepared.

His words earned a smile from Zuko - a small smile, but a smile nonetheless. Getting Zuko’s smiles to meet his eyes was much easier these days. Iroh had a feeling a certain airbender was responsible for that. But he’d wait for his nephew to broach that subject on his own - he didn’t want to put too much pressure on him too soon.

“How have you been, Uncle?” Zuko then asked, taking a sip of his tea. “It seems your shop is still doing well.”

Iroh couldn’t help but beam at his words. “Yes! It is the highest-rated tea shop in all of Ba Sing Se.” How wonderful was it that without the threat of war and destruction looming over their heads, people were finally able to take the time to sit and enjoy a nice, steaming cup of tea? There was little that could be better, in his opinion - a sure sign the world was improving.

Though the happiness on his nephew’s face when he spoke of Aang was a close second, at least in terms of Iroh’s favorite things to see.

Zuko smiled again. “That’s great, Uncle. I’m glad to hear it.”

“And what about you?” Iroh asked after a brief pause. “I’ve heard much about your actions as Fire Lord through the papers and the occasional talkative customer, but I would like to hear the details from you.”

Zuko grimaced, placing his cup on the table between them. “Ah… I would prefer to not get into politics right now, if that’s okay -”

“That is perfectly fine,” Iroh reassured him. Really, he was content with simply seeing his nephew in person for the first time in so long, no conversation needed. He was also happy to note that although the boy appeared tired, there were no bags beneath his eyes and his teenage frame was beginning to fill out into one of a man. Plus, if they chose not to discuss Zuko’s duties as Fire Lord, it meant there would be more time for him to pry - only because he _cared_ \- into his nephew’s love life. “I am sure that being with the Earth King all weekend has made you suffer through enough politics to last a lifetime.”

Zuko sighed. “I’m sure it has. And I still have to return to his palace this evening, too, for the big meeting with the Avatar.” He shook his head. “No. I refuse to think about that stupid council yet.” He looked up from his tea, alertness flickering in his eyes, as if he’d remembered something. “Oh, before I forget - Aang and Katara should be arriving here within the next hour. They wanted to drop by and see you before the meeting, too.”

Well, Iroh had never been one to refuse more customers. Especially ones so important to his nephew. “I cannot wait,” he said with a smile. Then he winked at Zuko. “Forgive me for prying, but I trust your relationship with Avatar Aang is still going strong?”

Zuko flushed a red as deep as his robes, and Iroh couldn’t help but chuckle. “Yes, it is. I hate how often we’re separated because of our different responsibilities, but we arrange visits as often as we can, and we write letters all the time, too.”

“Does it not bother you that Master Katara is around him more often in person? Travelling with him?” Iroh mused, taking a sip of his tea. It was more blunt than he preferred to be on such a delicate matter, but he’d learned that his nephew often needed some _slight_ prodding to be fully open about his personal life.

Zuko shrugged. “Maybe a little bit, at first. But I’ve since realized that it’s simply an aspect of our relationship that I cannot change. And besides.” A small, satisfied smirk crept onto his lips. “As I said, Aang and I always exchange letters. So Katara may have him in person, but I have his words in a way she does not.”

Iroh chuckled at Zuko’s expression, which clearly read, _And never will_. Ah, young love. “Is there an unspoken contest between you and Master Katara regarding the Avatar’s affections that I am not aware of?”

Zuko’s face reddened in embarrassment at the suggestion. “No, it’s not like -” He paused, tilting his head to the side. “Well, it’s not a real contest,” he amended. “Any jabs we make at each other are all in good fun.” A small smile slipped onto his lips. “Aang does not appreciate it if either of us even _imply_ that he loves us unequally. He always ends up pouting over it.” His blush deepened. “It’s… very cute.”

Iroh nodded. He could almost picture such an expression on the young Avatar’s face - he might describe it as ‘humorous’ instead of ‘cute’, but he supposed Zuko certainly looked at his partner with a more rose-tinted lens. “Different does not mean imbalanced,” he ended up agreeing.

Zuko snorted. “You sound just like Aang. You and your proverbs and Aang with his airbender wisdom.”

Iroh smiled. “Well, it is the highest flattery to be compared to the Avatar.”

“Although any wise words from either of you are as annoying as they are helpful,” Zuko grumbled, but Iroh didn’t miss that he, too, was smiling. “Anyways. Moving on. Yes, things are going well with Aang. I’m…” He dropped his eyes to his tea, his smile widening. “I’m really excited to see him today.”

Iroh didn’t respond at first. Seeing his nephew so calm, so bright, so at _peace_ with his life and the world - it filled his heart with so much joy that he almost wanted to cry. Finally, he managed to say, “It is good to see you happy, Zuko. Nothing brings me more delight. And it is high time the world made up for the pain you were forced to endure so long.”

Zuko returned his uncle’s smile with one of his own. “Not all of that pain was undeserved. But…” His smile widened a second time, with hope and _warmth_ flickering brilliantly in his eyes. “I admit - it’s nice. Being so happy.”

Iroh beamed at his nephew, no longer caring if his eyes were watery. “I couldn’t be prouder of you, Fire Lord Zuko.”

(He’d have to send Aang home with a special brew of tea as thanks.)

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im just saying that iroh would be one of the first people to support zuko pursuing a relationship with aang and also ask how they're doing 24/7 after they get together because he knows how much aang makes zuko smile as well as how important they are to each other :) thank you for reading!


	5. steam(y)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day five of zutaraang week 2020! i'm sure this prompt could have been more ns.fw for some people lmao, but i'm too ace to write anything convincing. i hope you enjoy my silly little spin on the prompt! :)

~*~

steam(y): _in which katara is the mvp (and toph deserves some goddamn earplugs)_

“Toph, do you want green or gold nail polish?” Katara asked, examining the small glass bottles in her palm. She’d done her own nails reasonably well, so surely it would be even easier to do someone else’s.

“I promise you, Sugar Queen, that they will look the same to me,” Toph deadpanned, pointing at her eyes from either side of her face.

“Oops. Right.” Katara studied the bottles for a moment longer, then made the decision. “Mm… Let’s go with gold.” Her own nails were silver, so it would be almost like they were semi-coordinating with metallics.

“Works for me. As long as you do _not_ touch my feet.”

Katara rolled her eyes. “Relax. I told you that I’m just doing your hands.” As she was spinning the cap off the bottle, she was startled by Aang appearing out of nowhere behind her, resulting in her jumping and losing her grip on the bottle itself. Her boyfriend did manage to stop the nail polish from splattering all over the floor thanks to some quick airbending, thankfully.

“Sorry,” he said, embarrassed, as he returned the glass bottle to her. “I probably should have knocked before I came in?”

“You think?” Katara retorted as she accepted the bottle, unamused. Nail polish would have been near-impossible to clean off the wooden floor.

“Yeah, you _should_ have knocked!” Toph agreed, crossing her arms over her chest. “I can’t even see with my feet in this stupid house, in case you’ve forgotten!”

“Okay, okay!” Aang rubbed the back of his neck, his face now flushed a deep red. “I get it. My bad. I’ll knock from now on.”

Katara decided she’d watched him squirm enough and relented. “So,” she said, placing the nail polish down on the dresser to her right, “what made you rush into here in the first place? Did you need something from us?”

Aang’s eyes widened. “Right!” He gestured to the door. “I’ve been called to help resolve some dispute in town, so I don’t know if I’ll be back in time to help make dinner like we planned.”

Katara pouted. She loved cooking with her boyfriend, even if that meant she ended up preparing most of the meat on her own. And tonight was supposed to be extra fun for Aang, too, because he’d finally managed to convince Zuko to join them.

Aang seemed to notice her disappointment, and he hastily added, “I might make it back, though! It’s just a minor disagreement between some rival store owners - I think - so it probably won’t take too long -”

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Katara interrupted, unable to stop herself from smiling at his rambled response. “Fingers crossed you’ll be back, but we’ll survive if you don’t. Have you told Zuko yet?”

“Yeah. I ran into him when I was looking for you.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you for not being mad.”

“Well,” Katara said coyly, “if you wanted to make it up to me somehow…” She smirked at him. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a few ideas.”

Aang’s eyes widened before he returned her smirk with a sly one of his own. “Is that so? And what do you have in mind?”

She resisted the urge to giggle like a schoolgirl. Spirits, she adored her boyfriend. “I was thinking that you coul-”

“Hello!” Toph shouted, throwing her arms upward and causing them both to jump. “Did you forget that I’m here? I may be blind, but that doesn’t mean I want to _hear_ you making out in front of me, either.”

Katara could feel herself blushing a deep crimson. Sokka often criticized her for only paying attention to Aang whenever she was in the same room as him, and while she’d first dismissed his whining as typical overbearing older brother complaints… she was now starting to consider that _maybe_ there was a little truth to his words. Just a smidgen. “Sorry, Toph. We won’t -”

“We won’t make _that_ much noise,” Aang scoffed before leaning down and drawing his girlfriend into an intense kiss, the kind that made warmth blossom through Katara’s body all the way down to the tips of her toes.

She could hear Toph smack the base of her palm to her forehead. “I hate you two. At least Zuko has _some_ decency when he’s with Aang.”

Katara would have protested had she not been distracted by Aang gently biting down on her lower lip. Of course, he _would_ pull away the moment she opened her mouth to deepen the kiss, and even had the nerve to _wink_ at her as he did so. What a tease.

“Nah, you love us,” Aang said with a laugh. He pressed a kiss to the top of Katara’s head. “But hopefully I’ll be back soon. If not, please don’t leave Zuko unattended in the kitchen or else he might burn the house down.”

Katara snorted. “I’ll do my best.” Being the Fire Lord, she had to wonder if Zuko had ever even set foot _near_ a kitchen in his life.

Toph glared at her as Aang left. “You and Twinkle Toes need to learn to keep it in your pants.”

“Please,” Katara scoffed, rolling her eyes. “You need to learn to stop being such a drama queen.”

“Shut up and paint my nails before I change my mind.”

Though Toph sounded irritated, Katara still found herself smiling in response. They were incredibly different people, no doubt about it, but Toph was one of her best friends, and she knew the earthbender’s threat lacked any real malice.

Of course, as soon as Katara was about to touch the brush of gold polish to Toph’s nail, someone _else_ barged into the room and nearly caused her to paint Toph’s entire thumb gold instead.

“Zuko?!”

Toph groaned. “Is this a sign from the universe? Both your boyfriend and your boyfriend’s boyfriend interrupting? Do the spirits not want me to get my nails done?”

Katara sent her a cross look, then realized that action was completely pointless. “I am going to paint your nails, Toph. Just give me a second.” She then turned to face Zuko, an eyebrow raised. “Do you need something?”

Zuko’s expression was somewhere between frustrated and completely anxiety-ridden. “How do you do it?” he blurted out, sitting down on a chair just inside of the door.

Katara blinked. “Uh… How do I do what?”

“How are you so - so effortlessly intimate with Aang?”

Katara was pretty sure that all the blood in her body had rushed to her face at his words, meaning she’d undoubtedly gone red to the tips of her ears. “ _Excuse_ me?” What, exactly, was he insinuating here?

Toph groaned. “Here we go again. Where’s a pair of earplugs when you need them?”

“Not - Not like _that_ ,” Zuko hastily protested. Katara was somewhat mollified by the fact that his face was as red as hers. “I just mean - you and Aang are always so comfortable together. You - You hold hands and hug and kiss so easily! All the time! Even in front of other people. How do you _do_ that?”

Toph cackled at Zuko’s question. “Wait - does the _Fire_ Lord need help getting _steamy_ with his boyfriend?” She clapped her hands together, grinning in sheer delight. “Oh, man. I changed my mind. This is great. Katara, help him out.”

Katara rolled her eyes at Toph’s exaggerated enthusiasm, feeling considerably less flustered than when Zuko had first broached his question. She suspected his dilemma was less a result of him being uncomfortable with physical affection and more him not knowing how to bring it up with Aang.

Aang, for his part, was probably… well, entirely oblivious to Zuko’s troubles. “Just sit him down and tell him what you want and don’t want with PDA,” she advised. “When Aang and I first got together, we had a genuine meeting during one of our first dates about what we were and weren’t comfortable with, and we haven’t had any major issues with physical affection since. Simple.”

Unsurprisingly, they were comfortable with a lot of things. Katara didn’t mind modest PDA, and Aang always loved being on the receiving end of her affection, thus the physical aspects of their relationship came easy to them. Much to Sokka’s exasperation, of course.

Zuko hesitated. “That’s… it?”

“Yeah, that’s it?” Toph complained. “Where’s the spice? The excitement? The steaminess?”

Katara laughed. “Yep, that’s it. Be clear-cut with what you want to achieve when you’re talking with him, make sure to communicate effectively, all that jazz. It’s really not complicated.”

Toph sighed, disappointed. “I should have known it’d be easy with Twinkle Toes. He’s too non-confrontational for there to be any drama.”

Katara snorted. “I’m so sorry that Zuko and I don’t argue with Aang enough for you.”

“I’m sorry, too! Damn. At least you guys fight with each other.”

Zuko appeared to still be processing her suggestion, as he was yet to say anything in response. Finally, he sighed. “I guess I was just overthinking it.”

Katara chuckled. “Eh. You tend to do that for a lot of things. Don’t feel bad.” But just as she was about to - _yet again_ \- begin painting Toph’s nails, another thought occurred to her. “If you don’t mind my asking, what brought this question on?” She’d always assumed Zuko just wasn’t as interested in being physically affectionate with Aang quite the way she was.

Zuko flushed, breaking eye contact with her to stare at the floor. “Uh… nothing in particular?”

Toph snorted. “I don’t need any earthbending to know _that_ was a lie. Drill him, Sugar Queen.”

Katara raised an eyebrow at Zuko, placing the bottle of nail polish down to cross her arms expectantly. “I’m waiting.”

Zuko’s blush deepened. “I may have been walking by when Aang was saying goodbye to you,” he mumbled, “and accidentally overheard -”

Katara’s eye twitched. “‘Accidentally overheard’, or _eavesdropped_?”

Zuko jumped to his feet. “You know, I think I hear Suki calling me. Thanks for all your help, Katara!” And with that, he practically sprinted out of the room.

Katara sighed. “Boys. They never think to just _talk_ with their partner, do they? Always having to sneak around and eavesdrop and spy first.”

“To be fair, sneaking tends to be way more fun,” Toph pointed out, offering her hands to Katara for what was probably the millionth time in the past ten minutes.

“True,” Katara conceded as she was finally able to start painting her friend’s nails. “But still. It’s not exactly the _ideal_ go-to option for a healthy relationship.”

Toph tilted her head. “Okay, I’ll give you that one.” Then she snickered. “So, do you think Zuko is _actually_ going to man up and talk to Twinkle Toes, or nah?”

Katara snorted. “For my sake, Toph, I really hope he does.”

(And, considering that a mere two days later she found Aang and Zuko making out in the kitchen on a rare morning she rose early, she figured it was safe to conclude they had. Good for them. But most importantly, good for her sanity.)

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> n.b. okay i know zuko is canonly very straightforward with pda (he and mai just,, kept making out in front of azula lmfao) but i wrote this entire thing solely around the “Fire Lord/steamy” pun, so cut me some slack pls. thank you for reading!


	6. worship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day six of zutaraang week 2020! this was probably one of my favorite prompts to write for. non-sexual intimacy/vulnerability makes me go feral lmao. also, i know i wrote the fic, but the heathers lyrics i chose fits so. well. for the zukaang focus i have going on here. i hope you enjoy!

~*~

worship: _when the morning comes, we’ll burn away that tear, and raise our city here_

Zuko hadn’t seen Aang since they’d grabbed a quick bite together for lunch between meetings. They were supposed to meet for dinner together, too, but his council about reparations for the Water Tribes had run an extra two hours because of some bigoted old man who’d been rich enough to stay ignorant about the most severe crimes the Fire Nation had committed during the war, which meant Zuko had been forced to grab a fast dinner on his own. Spirits, he wished he could remove that bastard from the council, but the man had been ‘elected’ - though he still suspected unfairly - and thus Zuko was stuck with him for another year.

He’d planned to go to his bedroom and change out of his formal robes before heading to the guest room that Aang was staying in so he could apologize for missing dinner and maybe offer to have tea with him instead. Something to make up for his absence. And Zuko had been very determined not to get distracted from this goal. In fact, he ended up being _so_ determined and _so_ focused that he almost missed Aang himself sitting cross-legged on his bed when he entered his bedroom.

Then realization hit, and Zuko spun on his heel to gape at his boyfriend. “How did - What are you doing in here?!” he sputtered, feeling like he was 16 again and had to sneak Mai in and out of his room without being caught by guards or palace staff.

Aang snickered at his shock. “Well, I came through the balcony to rouse less suspicion, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he said, gesturing to the unlocked but closed doors leading outside. “And I’m _here_ because…” He trailed off, breaking eye contact with him as a blush darkened his face. “I wanted to spend time with you. Outside of all the meals and meetings and formal events.”

Zuko could feel his own face reddening. “Oh.”

“I - I can go if you want!” Aang hastily added. “I know it’s not ‘appropriate’ and stuff for me to be in here since we’re not married or even engaged yet, but I just…” He exhaled slowly, giving him a small, bashful smile. “I’ve really missed you. I know we write all the time, and it’s not like I haven’t loved helping Katara out at the South Pole this past month - oh, the restoration of the Southern Air Temple is going really well, too - but even then…” He shrugged, reaching up to place his left hand on his right shoulder. “It’s not the same as being with you.”

Zuko found himself fixated on the ‘yet’ of his boyfriend’s statements, fixated on the implication that a proposal, a marriage, was somewhere in their future - spirits, he almost felt like he was going to combust. “No,” he finally managed to choke out, releasing the fistful of fabric on his chest that he hadn’t realized he’d been grabbing. “You’re right. It’s not the same. So… stay. Please.”

His words seemed to make Aang relax immediately, as his boyfriend proceeded to offer him a relieved, euphoric smile. “Great.” He then fell backwards, resting flat on his back in the middle of Zuko’s bed.

Zuko frowned at the… odd motion, but didn’t dwell on it. There were many things about Aang that could never be explained. He instead turned around to begin undressing and changing into his more casual, comfortable nightwear. The robe he wore to bed was cut low, always leaving at least half of the lightning scar that sat in the middle of his chest showing. Something inside him, a lingering, painful insecurity, made him tie his robe tighter than usual, leaving only the top of his scar visible for the world to peer upon.

When Zuko turned around, he had to do a double take, as Aang now lay on top of his bed face-down, limbs splayed out like a pentapus. “What… are you doing?” he asked after a long pause, unable to come to an appropriate conclusion on his own.

“Waiting for you to get in bed with me,” Aang replied, his voice muffled by the pillow his face was squished into. “Duh.”

_How_ had Zuko allowed himself to fall for such a dork. How. He didn’t know, though he definitely didn’t mind, and he certainly wouldn’t want it any other way.

He hesitated, then made his way to the bed, slowly lowering himself to sit in the empty space next to Aang. As he did so, his eyes fell upon his boyfriend’s back - the orange and yellow fabric had slipped down, revealing a scar unmistakably caused by lightning and healed shortly thereafter by waterbending.

So similar to his own.

_Too_ similar to his own.

Before he realized what he was doing, Zuko leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to the scar’s center. When his brain caught up to his action, he found himself immediately jerking away, doing so just in time to avoid Aang’s shoulders slamming into his face as his boyfriend sat up ramrod straight, gray eyes wide in surprise.

Zuko didn’t know what to say. Why had he done that?! What spirit had possessed him, had caused him to consider the possibility, had told him that it would even be _remotely_ okay to -

“Katara does that,” Aang whispered, tearing Zuko out of his thoughts. “Kisses my scar.” He reached behind himself, fingers no doubt brushing over his upper back, just above where the mark rested. “I think she blames herself. For not healing me fast enough. To stop it from scarring, I mean. Even though she saved my life that night, and I’ll never be able to make it up to her, she still…” He didn’t finish, and Zuko didn’t stop him when he laced their fingers together.

“She shouldn’t blame herself,” Zuko murmured after a pause. “It’s my fault you died that night. I stood by as Azula shot you down. There is no one responsible but me.”

Aang shook his head firmly, his grip on Zuko’s hand tightening. “No. You were not the one to strike me with lightning, so you can’t -”

“Maybe it wasn’t me. But it _was_ my sister.” Zuko barely managed to stop himself from grimacing at how empty, how hollow his voice sounded. “I - I _let_ her do it. It’s my fault.”

He knew Aang wanted to argue with him. He’d always been able to read his partner, even before they were officially together. But an odd look flickered across Aang’s face, and he seemed to decide against arguing, instead simply sighing.

“Sometimes you’re so much like Katara that I don’t know what to do about it.”

Zuko couldn’t help but chuckle at the comparison. He and Katara didn’t have much in common, but there had always been one main thing… “Maybe that’s why we both fell in love with you.”

Aang laughed, too. “Maybe.” He hesitated, then placed a palm on Zuko’s chest, just above his scar. “Can I…?”

Zuko nodded. He knew what Aang was asking, even though nothing was said, and he couldn’t stop himself from inhaling sharply as his boyfriend loosened the front of his robe and brushed his fingertips over the edges of the scar. His entire body stiffened as Aang leaned in to press a gentle, tender kiss to it.

“We match,” Aang whispered as he pulled away, sitting up straight again. “Both… gifted our scars by your sister. And both of our wounds healed by Katara.” He looked up at Zuko, his expression serious. “And you are no more at fault for mine than you are for yours. Understand?”

Zuko hadn’t realized he’d started crying until Aang reached up to brush away the tears with his thumb, cupping the left side of Zuko’s face with his hand.

“I love you,” Aang murmured, and it was all Zuko could do to manage a small nod in response. He didn’t dare speak for fear of breaking down into sobs.

He loved Aang so much he thought it might kill him. Being apart from him for months at a time was the hardest thing he’d ever had to do. Spirits, he - he _worshipped_ him, and Zuko knew that if he _ever_ had to, ever _needed_ to, he would, without a second’s hesitation - “I’d trade my life for yours.”

Aang froze at his words, and time seemed to slow around him before he forced a smile onto his lips, as if trying to lighten the mood. “Well, I hope you won’t ever need to -”

“I’d do it,” Zuko repeated, “for you. Only for you.”

Aang bit his bottom lip as it began to quiver, and he shook his head. “No. I’m never giving you the chance.”

Zuko didn’t know how to respond to that. He had a feeling - no, he _knew_ that Aang would do the same for him, and he supposed he would never give his boyfriend the chance to do so, either. “Can I… hold you?” he instead asked, releasing Aang’s hand to open his arms. When Aang nodded, he turned his boyfriend around before pulling him close to his chest, their two scars resting almost directly on top of each other.

Aang would soon be taller than him, he realized. His partner was rapidly nearing his exact height, and Zuko could have sworn he’d gotten more muscular the past few months, too. Maybe Katara had asked him to do some heavy lifting in the South Pole.

But no matter what changed, he supposed, some things would always stay the same. The past was… constant. Infinite. Permanent. Their scars would always remain. But how much Zuko loved, adored, worshipped Aang - well, that would only grow.

No matter what changed, they’d be okay. They’d make it work.

Together.

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> their matching scars,, the s y m b o l i s m,, god. i love it. thank you for reading!


	7. stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> day seven of zutaraang week 2020! i can't believe it's the last day (technically, at least. i'm posting the bonus prompt tomorrow, so you'll get one more oneshot after this one out of me). this prompt was a lot of fun to write! i hope you enjoy :)

~*~

stars: _don’t you know that i would give you the world (would you take it from me)?_

“Okay, that’s it,” Zuko grumbled as he got to his feet and pulled his coat tighter around his shoulders. “You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun, so I’m going to bed.” He sent Aang an unamused sideways glance. “And the Avatar, rising with all, must never sleep.”

Aang laughed. “I’ll be up with you at dawn tomorrow, I promise. Don’t stay awake on my account.”

Katara snickered when Zuko sighed, as he’d apparently recognized that was the best compromise he’d get from their boyfriend.

“Fine.” He placed a quick kiss to the top of Aang’s head before he returned inside, grumbling about the ‘stupid cold weather’ and how he could ‘never be a waterbender’ if it meant ‘staying up all damn night’. Katara normally would have corrected him, but she was too busy trying not to laugh at his theatrics to care.

“I keep telling him that as long as he’s careful, he can use firebending to warm the air around him, similar to what I do with my airbending, so he doesn’t need to wear all those layers,” Aang commented, amused. “But he says if even one thing distracts or surprises him, he might accidentally melt the entire South Pole.”

Katara snorted at the decidedly hilarious mental image. “Spirits. You know I hate agreeing with Zuko, but I would really prefer if he _didn’t_ destroy my home. You know. Again.”

Aang laughed, slipping a hand into hers. She regretted that her glove prevented them from touching, though she didn’t regret how warm the fabric kept her. “Oh, wow. You _do_ hate agreeing with Zuko. This ‘please don’t melt the South Pole’ business must be very near and dear to your heart.”

Katara found herself laughing, too. “I know that may be hard for you to believe, but I assure you it is. I have always been a lifelong opponent of my home being melted.” She squeezed Aang’s hand, slowly exhaling a contented sigh. “You know,” she mused after a pause, “last time Zuko told me ‘You rise with the moon, I rise with the sun’, I think he was trying to kidnap your body while your soul was in the Spirit World at the Northern Water Tribe, and as a result was also trying to kill - ah, I mean, _get rid of me_ when I tried to protect you.” She glanced up at her boyfriend, an amused smile dancing on her lips. “Now he’s your other soulmate, and he was complaining about our differing sleep schedules. It’s funny how things change.”

Aang gave her a crooked smile. “Well, Zuko swore on his honor - and you know how important his honor is to him - that he wouldn’t try to kill us anymore, so you probably don’t have to worry about that -”

“Oh, you hush,” Katara said, laughing again, as she lightly nudged his shoulder with her own. “You’re hopeless.” The dead of night often seemed to be the perfect time for important, serious, life-altering conversations, but Aang always had been one to defy such traditional conventions - maybe she should have seen that coming.

“No, I’m pretty sure I’m hope incarnate,” he corrected. “I seem to recall a very powerful - and very beautiful - waterbender telling me when I was younger that I brought hope to her _and_ to the entire world.”

Katara snorted, fighting back a smile. “Well, that waterbender sounds very naive to me.”

Aang shrugged. “Eh. Aren’t we all, sometimes?” Then he smiled at her, his eyes so full of love and adoration. Katara sometimes felt she might drown in it. “Maybe she was naive. But she was also the smartest, kindest, bravest person I’ve ever known, so I’m inclined to trust her judgement.”

“Ever known, huh?” Katara murmured, her gaze drifting away from her boyfriend and up to the starry sky above them. She could feel her face reddening at the compliment. “Considering you’ve been alive for more than a hundred years… that’s pretty high praise.”

A beat passed before Katara realized what she’d said, her shoulders stiffening as the implication of her own words sunk in. How could she have been so callous?! She knew Aang’s time in the iceberg was still a more sensitive subject for him, especially now that he was in the midst of restoring the Air Temples with the help of the Acolytes.

Ugh. Sometimes she was as thoughtless as Sokka. Bless his heart.

But before she could think of an appropriate - read: indiscreet - way to shift the conversation to a new subject, or at least offer her boyfriend a moment to release the pent-up emotions she knew he perpetually had on the matter, Aang spoke.

“Want to know something kind of silly?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Katara nodded, not trusting her voice to respond.

“After you rescued me from the iceberg, one of the reasons I liked staying up late at night - and this was before I mastered waterbending and felt the pull of the moon - is that… I love seeing the stars,” he explained softly. “A hundred years is a long time to have been gone. Everything was different when I came out of the iceberg, and there were so many changes that I had to get used to. The entire world was at war. My people were gone, my history and culture… erased, for all intents and purposes. Almost nothing was like I remembered it, except…”

“The stars?” Katara finished, turning to look at Aang, whose gaze was still directed upwards at the sky. His eyes seemed to shimmer in the moonlight.

He nodded. “The stars were still the same. _Are_ the same. It’s the same sky that I looked at with Monk Gyatso, with Bumi, with Kuzon, and now with you.” He turned to look at her, a small, bittersweet smile on his lips. “Always with people I love.”

Katara couldn’t help but scoot closer to him, resting her head on his shoulders. “I couldn’t be more honored to be named among them,” she murmured.

Aang chuckled. “Don’t talk too much about honor, or else you’ll start to sound like Zuko.”

She stuck her tongue out in mock-disgust, though the icy air made her immediately regret the action. “Ugh. Tui and La forbid that ever happens.”

Aang burst into full-on laughter, and he released her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders, squeezing her tightly. “I love you so much.”

“I love you, too,” Katara whispered, leaning further into his side. After a pause, she found herself adding, “Maybe it’s selfish, but… I’m glad you’re here to look at the stars with me.” If she could undo what happened to the Air Nomads, she suspected she would, without a moment’s hesitation. But if she had the power to go back in time and stop Aang from becoming trapped in the iceberg…

She couldn’t promise she’d go through with it. Because to do so would mean she’d never have met him, and… Katara didn’t have the strength to imagine her world without him in it.

Aang gave her a gentle smile, his eyes so full of adoration and warmth that this time Katara _knew_ she - a waterbender, how ironic - was drowning in it. Not that she’d have things any other way. “There’s nothing selfish about appreciating the present,” he promised her, and he spoke with such certainty she couldn’t help but believe him.

Katara stared at Aang for a moment, then leaned in, looping her arms around his neck as she drew him into an intense, breathtaking kiss. Aang hummed in excitement before responding in turn, wrapping his own arms around her waist before pulling her even closer in an attempt to eliminate any and all space between them.

“It’s a good thing Sokka’s asleep already,” Aang murmured between kisses. “Mm… Actually, it’s a good thing _everyone’s_ asleep already.”

He was right - there was little more annoying than when their makeout sessions got interrupted. _Especially_ by her meddling older brother. “You know,” she breathed when she had to break away for air, “I think it _is_ a little selfish of me to be happy that Zuko went to bed already.”

Aang laughed at her words, tucking her hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry. He rises with the sun - that means he’ll get _his_ kisses in the morning.”

Katara supposed that was the perfect compromise.

“Well, the moon and the stars are still high in the sky now,” she pointed out before pressing a kiss to his jaw, “which means we are not done here.”

Aang laughed again, turning his head to intercept her next kiss that was aimed at his cheek with his lips. “No,” he breathed when she pulled away. “I suppose we aren’t.”

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a lil kataang focus here ;) the next (and final!) oneshot will feature our trio all together to close out the week. i hope to see you then, and thank you for reading!


	8. beach

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> last day of zutaraang week 2020! kind of, at least. i chose to upload the bonus prompt today lol. zutaraang week 2021 can’t come soon enough, tbh! this oneshot is set not long after they all got together (so aged 18/19/21 i’d say). i hope you enjoy! i’m so glad i was able to write something for every prompt! :)

~*~

beach: _this is my family. i found it all on my own. it’s little, and broken, but still good. yeah, still good._

“Shh! Zuko, you’re walking too loudly!”

“Well, why don’t _you_ learn how to actually whisper, Katara?!”

“Oh, you little -”

Aang rolled his eyes at his partners’ bickering. He’d expected them to be snippy with each other - he loved them both to death, but Katara tended to be rather passive aggressive and Zuko had a habit of taking everything way too personally, which was admittedly a recipe for disaster - but still. He hadn’t expected them to be at each other’s throats _quite_ so soon.

“Okay, executive decision,” he muttered under his breath before he lifted his arms and airbended them both off the ground.

Katara covered her mouth with her hands to muffle her surprised squeak while Zuko looked like he’d rather be anywhere but hovering above the wooden floor.

Aang didn’t speak, instead simply sending them a look that he hoped conveyed the message of, _Hush, both of you_. Neither of them said a word in response, so he assumed it did.

Thanks to some nifty airbending that kept his partners off the ground and his own fancy footwork, Aang was able to get all three of them out of the house without waking anyone up. Or at least without disturbing anyone to the point where they came out to investigate what was going on.

“Okay,” Aang whispered as he lowered them both to the ground outside before taking one of their hands in each of his. “To the beach!” He began practically sprinting down the dirt- and pebble-covered path, and both Zuko and Katara stumbled before matching his stride and running along with him.

If Aang was being honest, he wasn’t sure what had sparked the desire for an impromptu beach trip inside him. He’d woken up in the dead of night and just - just _really_ wanted to go to the beach. Notably, he’d realized that he wanted to go with _both_ of his partners. Easier said than done.

Well, Katara hadn’t been hard to convince, what with the moon’s energy rousing her quickly. He’d left her changing into her beachwear before attempting to get Zuko to join them, too. _That_ had been considerably harder, and Aang had been halfway-worried that his boyfriend was going to murder him - or worse, break up with him - for waking him up in the middle of the night to go to the beach, of all places. But he hadn’t! So all was well. And now they’d actually made it to the beach itself, which meant Aang couldn’t be happier.

“Yeah!” he crowed, now plenty far away from the house here he didn’t think his shouting would wake anyone up. “Beach time!” He released both of their hands to airbend himself upwards before catapulting down into the deeper waters of the ocean.

“I still don’t know why you felt compelled to have ‘beach time’ at two in the morning,” Zuko grumbled as Aang waterbended himself a wave to ride back to the shore.

“Oh, don’t be such a downer, Zuzu,” Katara said, rolling her eyes. “You’re here now, aren’t you? You might as well have a little fun.” She gave him a sideways glance that read as more of a challenge than anything else. “If you even _know_ how to have fun, that is.”

Zuko’s eye twitched at the nickname, and Aang was starting to wonder if maybe he should have just come by himself. “Of course I can have fun!” he snapped. “You’re the one who acts so uptight about everything.”

Katara scoffed. “You’re not allowed to call _me_ uptight, Your Royal High-and-Mightiness. Unless that scowl on your face actually means ‘I’m having such a great time right now’!”

Zuko’s fists clenched at his sides, smoke curling off his fingertips. “ _You’re_ the one who’s acting high and mighty right now,” he said accusingly, “standing here and lecturing me like I’m five years old!”

“Well, if you don’t want to be lectured, maybe you should consider that you need to acquire some common sense and start _acting_ like you’re older than five -”

“Enough!” Aang raised his right arm, snapping his wrist downwards and waterbending a wave over the both of them, earning himself two identical shocked stares from his partners, which would have been funny had he not been so frustrated with them. “Stop arguing. You’re here because you’re the most important people in the world to me, and it’s - it’s really freaking hard for me to watch you fight all the time, okay? You don’t have to be best friends, but at least - at least tolerate each other. Please.” They didn’t have to get along perfectly - spirits knew he didn’t _expect_ them to - but the petty fights, the irritated snapping back and forth like little kids? He wasn’t going to put up with it. He refused to. “Do I make myself clear?”

Katara and Zuko exchanged guilty looks, then they both turned back to him and nodded.

“Good. Thank you.”

“I’m sorry, Aang,” Katara apologized, tucking her now-damp hair behind her ear. “That was really immature of us.”

“And it was also unfair to you,” Zuko mumbled in addition, the tension slowly easing from his shoulders before he offered Aang a small, more relaxed smile. “So… what do _you_ want to do?”

“Whatever it is, we’ll participate without any complaining or arguing,” Katara promised.

Aang hesitated. He… wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted to do. More than anything he just wanted to _be_ here, spending time with both of them. Hm. He had to pick an activity they were equally good at.

Wait.

Or… an activity they were equally _terrible_ at.

“Let’s build a sand castle!” he said brightly. Neither of them could earthbend, so it was perfect!

Katara nodded enthusiastically - probably a little forced, but he appreciated the effort. “That’s a great idea, Aang!”

“Yes,” Zuko agreed after a slightly-too-long pause, managing a smile that was… well, somewhat convincing. “Do you want to build any old castle, or did you have a specific building in mind…?”

Aang frowned. That was a good question. They could do a generic, simple sand castle, sure, but there had to be something else that might get them all a little more invested…

_Aha_.

An idea occurred.

Aang turned 90 degrees on his heel, digging both of his feet into the sand as he closed his eyes, bracing his hands at his sides. He wasn’t particularly skilled at sandbending, but surely he could manage one simple move.

Aang shoved his fists in front of him, and when he opened his eyes a second later he was pleased to see that a firm wall of sand now stood before him, braced against the small, rocky cliffs that lined the nearby shore.

“Let’s build the Western Air Temple,” he said as he turned back around to face his partners. “If we pack the sand well, gravity shouldn’t pull it down or make it collapse.” Probably. He gestured to the wall he’d made. “This is our cliff face. We can build” - hmm, would ‘carve’ be more accurate? - “our temple into it.” He hoped he sounded more certain about his idea than he felt.

Zuko and Katara exchanged another glance. But this time, there was no guilt or irritation behind it, and Zuko was the one who spoke first.

“Let’s do it,” he said, cracking his knuckles. “This is like practice for the real restoration of the temple.”

Katara laughed at his comparison, but her voice was now lighter, lacking its previous venom towards the firebender. “It’s really not,” she teased, “but I do agree with the positive sentiment.” She grinned at Aang. “What are we standing around here waiting for? Let’s get started!”

Aang didn’t need any more incentive than that.

It took several tries, but eventually he and Katara figured out the perfect amount of water needed to pack the sand so it wasn’t soggy but also wouldn’t crumble at their touch. He and Zuko realized, too, that a hot flame on a fingertip could be used to create fine-ish detail on the sand, shaving off edges and slicing thin lines in an attempt to depict the architectural designs of the temple. If anything broke off or fell, Aang refused to use sandbending to fix it. The fractured pieces simply became a part of the project. A tribute, maybe, to how much the temple had already endured.

The finished sculpture was… quite a sight. It would be clear to most onlookers what the creation was _intended_ to be, even if the buildings were rather disproportionate in size and the decor was nowhere close to a precise replica of how Air Temples were normally adorned.

It was the most beautiful thing Aang had ever seen.

Katara grimaced as she brushed sand off her hands, and Zuko was also staring at it with mild embarrassment. “Aang, I’m sorry that it’s not -”

“I love it,” Aang breathed, taking a step closer to the sculpture, his hand hovering out just in front of the central building of the temple. “This… it’s perfect.”

He almost felt like crying, for a reason he couldn’t quite articulate aloud. It was an _Air_ Temple, made with earthbending, waterbending, and firebending, a part of his heritage put together with the two most important people in his life. This building… it was _him_ , every part of him as the Avatar, an aspect of his identity that he’d loathed for so long. It was whole, it was broken, it was imperfect, it was everything inside of him displayed out for the world to witness, to see, to judge, and it was still good.

Yeah. Still good.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see a soft smile flicker onto Katara’s lips. “If you like it,” she said, stepping forward and slipping her hand into his, “then that’s enough for me.”

“Agreed.” Zuko took Aang’s other hand in his own, giving it a gentle squeeze. “As long as you’re happy.”

Aang bit his tongue to stop himself from bursting into tears, then pulled them both onto a tight hug. They were surprised at first, but soon relaxed into it, wrapping their arms around him in unison. “I love you both,” he choked out, “ _so much_. More than anything.”

“Oh, Aang…” Katara whispered, and he could tell she was fighting back tears of her own. “We love you, too.”

“Sorry we kept arguing earlier,” Zuko murmured. “We were being petty and childish when we should have been appreciating this rare free time we have to just _be_ with you.”

Aang shook his head, still fighting back tears. “I don’t care about that anymore. All I care about is that you’re both here with me right now.”

And when they each placed a gentle kiss on his face, Zuko’s to his temple and Katara’s to his cheek, Aang knew everything would be okay. No matter what happened, no matter how long they had to be apart… there would always be another midnight beach adventure in their future.

With them, he was home.

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes i used a lilo and stitch quote. don’t judge me lol. anyways - that’s a wrap! thank you for reading all my fics this week!

**Author's Note:**

> i hope to see you tomorrow for day two: secrets! thank you for reading! (feel free to come gush with me about how cute and underrated zutaraang is on tumblr @ thinkingisadangerouspastime)


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